Sep 27, 2013

Chicken, wild rice and mushrooms are combined in this rich and hearty soup – the perfect Fall comfort food.

We love this soup in my house, I originally posted this a few years ago and it's become a staple in my home on chilly nights. I've tinkered with the original recipe so if you have an older printout, you may need to reprint this one. The photo also needed a serious make-over because I was still working when I first posted this in 2011, and I probably took the photo the next day.

It was originally a make-over requested from a reader who asked me to lighten up her original recipe, which was loaded with butter and heavy cream. The beauty of this soup is you really don't need all the cream, because rice is a natural thickener for soups and it actually gets thicker the longer it sits (you may even need to add more water the next day before reheating to adjust the correct thickness to your taste.) I add a little sour cream at the very end to give it a touch of cream, and it's just delicious (my husband loves it!)

I'm thinking I'll never need another cookbook or cooking website. I LOVE everything you post and the fact that you have the points right there. I don't have to calculate. I'm making the pulled pork, cilantro lime rice, and black beans tonight. I'm so glad I found this blog!!

Tracey, I use both, depends on the recipe. I feel in some recipes, as far as taste, white rice can't be substituted. In others, it's fine. You could try it with brown and see if it gets as creamy. If you do let me know how it turns out.

First off I Love love love your blog. I have done WW in the past and it's been a bore and a pain. In the past I almost always had to cook a separate meal for my husband and daughter and I eventually got tired of doing that and the few things I could come up with that were quick and easy. Your blog has given me new hope! I have cooked several things already and my family has loved them! I was so excited to see this recipe because this is a healthier version of one of our favorite soups! Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into your recipes and your blog! Thank you for sharing it with us!

i think you are amazing! i love love love all your food!!! i think i am going to start a diet called gina's way!!! :) even my picky hubby thinks your food is amazing. i have also turned alot of people onto your site! keep up the good work!!!..i would like to see some more crock pot meals..as i just got a new one :) hint hint! take care and god bless!! xoxoxoxoxtrish p.

this girl can burn. This recipe came out excellant. I can't wait to put this in my husbands lunch tomorrow. I know he'll eat this one. I loved it. Wondered about that sour cream as I've never thought of that in soup. Make it ladies. It's good. Big thumbs up. !!!

I made this recipe last night and used brown rice in place of the white. It was very creamy and delicious. I served it to my husband and father in-law and both raved about it. They couldn't believe it was a skinny recipe!

I just have to say I LOVE your blog!!!! Everything I have made so far has been AMAZING! I just made this soup the other day and it was soooooooo tasty! I can't wait to make more of your wonderful recipes!

I misread the directions and used a brown/wild rice blend bagged mix for the 4.5 oz combo listed, which didn't come with a seasoning packet! So, I added a chicken and herb bouillon cube and the flavor still came out wonderful!

I'm making this right now and my house smells divine!! I can hardly wait to eat it!! I didn't have shitake mushrooms so I substituted button and I used leeks instead of onion.. I hope it's just as good! I'm excited about your blog.. Thanks for your posts

My boyfriend and I absolutely loved this! I used a higher wild-to-long-grain rice ration, and no seasoning packet (the wild rice we end up comes on its own, not blended with other rice and not seasoned). It was a huge hit -- we just finished the leftovers, and I'm already fielding requests for another batch :) Thank you so much!

I am not a big soup-eater, but this one is amazing!!! It is so delicious and tastes like something you'd find at a great cafe. I usually don't like leftovers either, but I ate this soup for lunch for like a week after and loved it! This is definitely becoming a staple at our house!

it's amazing this recipe is still getting hits. I didn't subscribe to others but I still get the *this is amazing.*. I might have to make it again just because I keep hearing about how good it is. It was delicious.

Gina I found your website about a month ago, I have probably tried over 10 recipes. My soup is simmering right now, while I prepare the apple nut bread that you posted recently. I have loved every thing I've made and so has my family and husband! Thanks so much for all your hard work and inspiration!! I find it very difficult to find simple, yummy and healthy recipes but I've finally found it! :)

I made this again last night, and I just have to tell you that it's probably in my top 10 of your recipes. I love, love, love it!! I love that the leftovers are amazing, too. It's so easy and fabulous. Thank you so much!! I'm basically in maintenance mode now thanks to you!

I made this recipe tonight but tweaked it a bit to make it more of a casserole. LOVED IT! I kept the chicken thighs on the bone. let the rice absorb most of the broth then added a bit of a low fat cooking creme and a little of the lite sour cream. I then baked the whole thing in a casserole pan to brown the chicken and thicken up the rice. DELICIOUS!

Mine was thick like stew but not very creamy. Is the sour cream for flavor or texture? I was going to use greek yogurt instead of sour cream but realized I was out, so I didn't use either. And the 2 tbsps sour cream is for the entire pot, not per serving correct? (Sorry for the questions but I'm new to the kitchen and trying to learn.)

This soup was amazing! I don't like celery, so I added leeks instead, and I used fat free greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It didn't come out as thick as Gina's, but it tastes incredible! And the chicken is the absolute moistest. So easy and definitely a keeper!

I'm planning on making this soup this week and I can't wait because of all the good praise it is getting!

I only have one problem - I couldn't find a regular wild rice/white rice combo at the stores I checked. I did find the right combo in a Uncle Ben's box. It says it cooks in 5 min. so I'm assuming this is not the same thing you use. Can I still use the Uncle Ben's and do I need to make adjustments to the liquid?

Gina, thank you SO Much for your amazing website. I've been making your recipes for a couple of months now and have not once been disappointed! This soup is fabulous and I have to stop myself from gobbling it up as I am dishing it out into containers. One question - do you think this would freeze well? It made so much - more than 1 girl can handle! Thanks!

I'm finishing making this today. I don't like using only chicken stock (the taste is meh) so I used chicken stock, water, and threw in chicken wings, carrot, onion, and celery last night and cooked for a good 5 hours to get the flavor comparable to homemade stock. I'll let you know how the full recipe turned out :)

This soup is so delicious! The other commenters are right, those who hate mushrooms won't even taste them. So much flavor and it's the perfect comfort food for a cold winter day.

For anyone else who might be concerned about this, I noticed that both rice packages suggested contain MSG, which I try to avoid. I bought the Carolina brand anyway, thinking that I could just omit the seasoning package and use a bullion cube instead, but the seasoning is actually mixed in with the rice. So I just went ahead and made it with that since it was too late to do anything about it at that point.

I made it again tonight and this time found that Uncle Ben's makes a long grain and wild rice combo just like the other 2, except the seasoning packet is separate so you can omit it to use bullion instead. (That may be the case for the Rice-A-Roni as well but I didn't want to take the chance.) Thought this might help if anyone was lazy like me and wanted to just go with the packaged combo. :)

Sorry for the long comment and thank you for another great recipe Gina!

I try to cook with whole grains and as many organic, non processed foods as possible. The seasoning packets in rice blends and other processed foods often have a tons of msg, sodium and starches in them, this bothers me. Can you suggest some seasonings to substitute for that packet?

This was SO good!! I modified it for the crock pot, tho...that way it could cook from about 230 until after we back from the gym. It was great! Thanks! Just added a bit more water at the end because the rice had swollen so much. Used chicken breasts because I didn't have (nor do we care for thighs) and I did a mix of shitake and oyster shrooms. GREAT recipe!! Thanks so much!! Two of my three kids LOVED it!! My third just doesn't care for rice or pasta, so that was why he didn't like it. He didn't even really try it, tho, just had it in his head that he wouldn't because of the rice (he is 6...you know how those little ones are!!). Will definitely keep this one!!

Made this over the weekend and thought it had a nice, mild flavor. Next batch, I'll probably omit the sour cream and add a dash of sherry intead - I think that would make it a bit more robust. I also may try using barley instead of rice just for a variation.

I am making this right now and the kitchen smells wonderful. Thanks for the tip of the bullion cube as I try to stay away from the processed packages too. I have tired about 20 different recipes from your site and there was NOT one that we did not like. I found this site right after I joined WW and these recipes are wonderful since I don't have to worry about figuring points. And my husband loves all of them. He loves the fact that almost every day he gets a wonderful new meal. Thanks Gina! This blog is a God send!

I doubled this recipe (wow, that was a BIG pot of soup!) and used 6 big chicken breasts instead of the thighs and it is a nice hearty amount of chicken. I then froze the soup in pint sized canning jars - perfect for the 1 1/2 cup serving, plenty of room for expansion at the top. I just warmed one up for lunch and it was delish! Thanks for all your great recipes!

I have been meaning to leave a comment (something I never normally do). I have been using thiis site for ALL of my dinners for the last 4 months. I joined WW and was looking for healthy recipes. I have lost 30lbs since I started and I have to give you a special thanks. I have made over 20 of your recipes and EVERY SINGLE ONE is awsome. I know this is why I have stayed on track and I never feel like I am forfieting any flavor. Whenever I make a new recipe...from your site of course and it is out of this world wonderful... of course. I always say "gina never let's me down" you are spoke of in my household as if you are a trusted friend :) thank you for making this journy so easy!

I'm a student and a complete amateur in the kitchen. I figured I'd try and tackle this, and I'm so glad I did! It tastes SO good, and I have a whole bunch for lunches now! It can be really hard to eat healthy when all you want to do is just eat out at the university.

I just wanted to say thanks for the recipe <3 It was easy to make, and it's healthy too! I'll definitely be referring to your blog for my meals now.

I am back on WW and back to your website which helped me to lose 25 pounds the first time i was on WW. Well sad to say, i gained most of the weight back - but with some encouraging words from my husband - he told me to get back on the wagon and get back to cooking those dishes from that Skinnytaste site. LOL! I am sitting here planning next weeks menu and thought - i need a good soup! Came to your website and here is one just waiting for me. Thanks so MUCH. I still plan on purchasing that cookbook when it is published.

This looks Yummy! I was wondering have you ever used lowfat buttermilk or fat free half and half? I have with great results, Going to try it with this, also there is a product called better than Bouillion that is paste, they have organic too, I love it! Thanks for posting

My husband despises sour cream, and won't eat anything that even remotely looks "creamy". So I'm gonna try this without the sour cream (even thought I think it would be amazing). Not sure I could hide it from him.

So I made it tonight, without the sour cream and it was delicious. Even my kids ate it (that's a rarity!). I'm not sure what it was supposed to taste like with the sour cream, but I happily omitted it. I also didn't add the seasoning packed for the rice, but instead added "Better than Bouillion" chicken flavor. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. My in laws thought it needed a little salt and pepper, but the kids and I ate it without adding anything.

This is going to be a crazy question, but is there any good substitution for the mushrooms? We are a house divided when it comes to mushrooms, and while this looks delicious, I would have to make it without them. Does anyone have suggestions for something I could add that would still provide some of the richness and depth of flavor? Or will it still be as tasty as it looks without them?

I have made this recipe quite a few times, it is delicious! I love it just as it is and sometimes I add some wing sauce for a fun twist. It also freezes very well. Thanks Gina for your wonderful recipes!

I have this on the stove right now and it smells delicious. I have yet to taste it, but have high hopes for it. I have a question regarding the shiitake mushrooms that a previous poster had asked that no on ever answered. The recipe calls for 4 oz. Does that mean 4 oz fresh or 4 oz dehydrated? It makes a difference. I was clueless, bought both types and used both in the recipe. As they are the priciest item in the recipe, I'd really like to have a clear-cut answer on it. Is anyone able to give me any info regarding it?

I just made it and I assume it is 4 oz fresh. I used 3.5 fresh shiitake (size of container in store at 4.99) and added some extra baby bella mushrooms I had on hand since I love mushrooms. It came out great--but the shiitake is the star of the dish! Also, I used some farro in place of some of the rice and it was wonderful too.

Hi and thanks for answering. After getting all done with the dish and talking with my mom about it (she also has never used shiitake shrooms), we both decided it was meant to be 4 oz fresh. I realize you can put in as much or as little as you like to your taste, but I think the 4 oz fresh would be perfect. Again, many thanks for the response - it was very helpful! It turned out really well and is a definite repeater.

Gina, this looks so delish!!! I just finished prepping it but I put all ingredients in my crock pot on low...do you think this soup will turn out OK in a crock pot? It sure smells yummy! Thanks for the recipe! :)

Absolutely amazing recipe. I'm gluten free so couldn't use the rice seasoning packet and went with recommendation above to add 1 T. of Better-than-Boullion in lieu of that. I also added a can of evaporated milk at the end to make it a cream soup (and upped calories/points accordingly). Both of my sons liked it and one was even excited when I said we were having leftovers for dinner the next night!

Delicious and extremely easy. This was a hit with everyone- even the pickiest eater in our home. An instant favorite!Some changes I made with success (mostly due to necessity/using what I had on hand):I used a Costco roasted chicken I used chicken boullion instead of flavor packet I added chopped zucchini I sauteed all veggies (except shiitakes) first --to carmelize/bring out the flavorI used white basmati and locally grown wild rice

I made this on Monday. It was AWESOME! Twice as good the next day by the way. I had a 6.5 ounce box of the wild rice mix so I measured out the 4 oz., I did use the whole seasoning packet which I was worried about but it turned out perfectly. If you're considering adding the shitake stems I would definitely not do that - way too pungent and woody. I'd freeze them though for stock. Delicious! Thank you!

This soup is a huge favorite in our family and among the many friends I've delivered it to. I use Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice original recipe (or sometimes mushroom). I add a handful of chopped spinach, pinch of red pepper flakes and a glug of sherry. I typically forget the sour cream and it's still great.

I'm wondering the same thing IIina Crouse is. I am fortunate to be able to buy wild rice from northern Manitoba, Canada, and it is only wild rice (which is actually a grass, not a true rice). What would the seasonings be in the packet you mention?

I made this last week and it was amazing! My mom used to make a version that was definitely not this healthy. Anyway, 2 things, 1. I seriously contemplated calculating the calories for the entire batch because it was SO GOOD and I couldn't stop eating it! 2. I'm making it again... about 3 days later....

I just made this and ended up using a full cup of brown rice and about 2 ounces of uncooked wild rice...1/3 cup maybe? The package called for is only 4.5 oz, so if your weight is close you should be fine. The package is also seasoned, so adjust your seasoning to taste! I used some Penzy's poultry seasoning and it was wonderful.